2015–2020 Subaru Outback: Battery keeps dying (parasitic drain)
Likely causes, ranked
- Parasitic drain or weak original battery (settlement covers testing and replacement)$0–$0Shop
- Short trips not recharging the batteryDIY
Real-owner fix counts will appear here as reports come in.
DIY or shop: See DIY or shop section
Parts to check
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Symptom: The battery is dead after sitting a day or two, especially with lots of short trips. Some owners have replaced several batteries.
Likely causes
- Drain plus an undersized original battery. A class action settlement covers 2015–2020 Outbacks with battery testing and replacement, possible reimbursement for past costs, and an ECM reflash for some years. Outback forum owners shared the notice.
- Short trips that never recharge the battery.
DIY or shop?
- DIY: use a battery maintainer.
- Dealer: settlement work, which needs an authorization code first.
Useful steps
- Check the settlement site for eligibility and deadlines.
- Keep your battery receipts.
- Ask about the ECM reflash.
Vehicle focus: 2015–2020 Subaru Outback.
Safety / mechanic note
Mainly a stranding risk.
Recalls & service bulletins
No recalls or service bulletins are listed for this page yet.
NHTSA complaints: 1,396 keyword-matched complaints for Subaru Outback 2015–2020 (of 4,811 unique complaints queried, NHTSA complaints API by model year, queried 2026-10-15).
Always check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Sources
What actually fixed it?
Had this problem? Tell other owners what the real fix was. Reports are counted above; we never show made-up numbers.